Using the newly passed Espionage Act as a justification, on this day in 1917 the Department of Justice began a series of raids on 48 IWW meeting halls, arresting 165 people, including "Big Bill" Haywood.

The Department of Justice, with the approval of President Woodrow Wilson, then proceeded to arrest 165 Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) members for "conspiring to hinder the draft, encourage desertion, and intimidate others in connection with labor disputes".

Of the 165 arrested, only 101 actually stood trial. The trial was unusual in the way that the prosecution did not try to demonstrate the guilt of individuals, but rather to indict the IWW as a whole, reading inflammatory passages from seized documents. Accordingly, the defense testified about the plight of the working man and the evils of capitalism.

All defendants were found guilty on all charges brought by the prosecution, and many IWW members served several years in prison. Among those convicted was "Big Bill" Haywood, a well-known leader of the IWW, however he skipped bail before his sentencing and fled to the Soviet Union, where he would spend the rest of his life.